Maverick needed an escape from the tension that hung over the pack house like a dark cloud. That was why he was seated at a bar in L'Oréal letting the noise and bustle distract him from the problems he was sure to face back in his pack's territory. The whole Denzel-Cinnia situation was sucking the barely-there joy out of him. As much as he wanted to hate Cinnia—which he rightfully should since she committed one of the worst crimes imaginable—he sort of understood why she did what she did. He knew Denzel understood as well but it was too difficult to look past. Still too fresh in their minds. Maverick took another sip of his drink and was considering getting another when a scent hit his nostrils. "Please Goddess, no," He mumbled as he touched his forehead against the cool glass in his hand. "Not her of all people." Sophie craved a getaway. Ever since she was named Elder after Esther's death despite how young she was, it seemed like the fate of the world and the Darah Haven wit
Maverick contemplated the offer. She was a witch and he was a werewolf. They shouldn't even be talking pleasantly right then but there they were. A bottle of red wouldn't hurt, right? There was no reason they couldn't be civil despite the tension. It wasn't as if he was going to marry her. Hell, he didn't have a mate and he was convinced she wasn't his. Sophie witnessed the doubt flickering in his eyes and her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. To save herself from the humiliation of rejection, she cleared her throat. "It's totally fine if you don't want to. I understand. It doesn't really—" "A bottle of red sounds wonderful right now. I feel like my blood has turned to whiskey so it'll be nice to mix it up a bit," Maverick joked, finally snapping out of his many thoughts. "Oh. You're sure?" Sophie bit back a smile and looked down at her feet. 'Why am I shy? What's going on with me?' "Of course. Come on, just give me the directions to your hotel," Maverick said with a small
Gently, Maverick brought her to face him. "I agree. Maybe it's right and maybe it isn't. Why don't we find out rather than assume?" He suggested. Sophie bit her lip, conflicted. "I... You're a werewolf, Maverick. I'm a witch. This is—" "The same thing we all had a problem with when it came to my brother," Maverick finished off for her. "No." Sophie shook her head. "I'm just unsure." Maverick cocked his head to the side and moved closer to her. Their bodies pressed against each other's and he could hear the pounding of Sophie's heart against her ribcage. "I can smell your arousal, Sophie..." His tone was low, sinful. The alcohol on his breath, as he spoke mingled with hers as she gasped when his fingers danced along the waistband of her pleated mini skirt. Maverick shrugged off her jacket and tossed it to the ground. "You want this as much as I do, don't you?" He asked to be sure. Sophie pressed her lips into a thin line as she struggled to maintain eye contact with him. "N-no, I
Maverick was in the same space and breathing the same air as Cinnia. She blinked rapidly to be sure she wasn't seeing things. "Am I hallucinating or you're really in my room?" Cinnia asked the phantom before her who bore a striking resemblance to Maverick. This was the first time that Maverick came in close contact with Cinnia since the Paris incident and she was rightfully shaken. "Am I safe?" She scooted further into her bed. Maverick scoffed and rolled his eyes. He sat at the edge of her bed. "I can see the wheels in your brain going haywire. Relax. I don't plan to eat you." Cinnia squinted at him, unsure of his reasons. "Hm. Then why are you here?" Maverick pushed back the lump in his throat as he thought over how best to approach the situation. "Uh... Well—You see..." He cleared his throat. Cinnia raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you start stuttering?" "Can you just...be quiet and let me get to it?" He scolded. "Okay, okay. My bad." She raised her arms in surr
Cinnia was ready. She had dismissed all the staff after returning from shopping with Mya and had Mya request the other pack members except Kai and Maverick, to leave and return the next day. She spent hours in the kitchen preparing all of Denzel's favorite dishes and snacks—the ones she could anyway. Thankfully, Denzel was holed up in his study as usual so she didn't have to worry about him discovering what she had planned. "Cinnia, it's perfect. Stop fussing!" Mya giggled as Cinnia replaced one garnish that didn't look quite right on the platter, with another. "Yes... Relax. He may not openly show it but he's going to love it. Hell, I love it!" Kai encouraged her and patted her shoulder gently. "Pst. Maverick, say something!" Mya elbowed Maverick in the ribs, causing him to let out a sharp grunt. "Hmph. It's good. You've outdone yourself," He said simply then put on a tight smile. "You guys don't think it's too much?" Cinnia bit her nails as she observed every detail of the spre
Denzel stopped just before their lips could meet in the passionate kiss that Cinnia desperately craved. "What is it?" She breathed; angling her face nearer to his and eager for even his slightest touch. When he didn't respond, she wove her fingers into the softness of his hair and pressed her breasts against him. "Why are you holding back?" "I know what you're trying to do, Cinnia," Denzel said through gritted teeth. "Is it working?" Cinnia stretched her lips into a grin as she trailed her fingers through the tightly coiled strands of his hair. "Damn it, yes..." "Then why the hell are you resisting?" She blew out a breath and stepped back. "Do you not want me anymore? Has this enmity between us made you not desire me in the slightest?" Cinnia questioned while rubbing her hand against her belly. Denzel remained quiet. His silence frustrated her to the point that she rolled her eyes and picked up her fallen dress. "I knew this was a mistake. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even
The air around Cinnia was permeated with the scent of death. It threatened to choke her out. Then, it was as gone as abruptly as it came. Cinnia squinted into the darkness surrounding her on each side as she took tremulous steps forward. Specters whispered incomprehensible words at her while they glided about her, blending with the darkness so she couldn't see them but she could perceive them. It brought shivers across her entire body. She wanted to call out for Denzel but her voice failed to erupt from her lips. She kept walking further into the darkness, hoping to find some glimmer of light that would signal an escape. It seemed like she had walked for hours with no end in sight. No hope. No way out of the suffocating darkness that shrouded her. Just as she was about to give up and crumble to the ground beneath her, something flashed before her eyes. Bright red. Dripping. Cinnia took several steps back, preparing to run from whatever the thing was that made her heart pound
"Hello?" Cinnia said into her phone. Normally, she wasn't one to pick up calls from anonymous numbers but inexplicably, she found herself doing so. As if the call was a magnet, drawing her to tap the answer button without a thought. There was heavy breathing on the other end. One that almost seemed too familiar. The exact breathing pattern of the corrupt man from her vision, dream, or whatever it was. Cinnia bit her lip and paused the preparation of the omelet she was making around six a.m. that morning. She scratched the inside of her palm as she awaited a response. Yet, there was nothing. So, Cinnia braced herself to speak once more. "He-hello?" She choked out. She shut her eyes, hating the way her voice cracked. That was a weakness she didn't want the caller to notice. "Good morning. I hope your meal turns out great," The caller said. Cinnia's eyes darted from side to side in fear. She gulped, turned off the stove, and began slowly backing to the stairs. Denzel was upstair
Six months later... It is during the time of peace that one should fear the occurrence of war. However, the prospect of war was a distant threat. One that Cinnia didn't even want to think or worry about. Sebastian was gone; so were Elijah and all the other vampires and hybrids he had created. Therefore, Cinnia only sought to enjoy the relative peace that had settled over West Volken for the last six months. There had been a lot to do after finally defeating Sebastian. The wounded had to be attended to—fortunately, they healed quite quickly, some faster than others—and a lot of collaboration among all the factions had to be established to ensure that adequate excuses and compensations were given to the families of the humans that had been turned by Sebastian and the matter hidden from the press. In the two months after New Orleans, although everyone constantly reassured Cinnia that none of the deaths was her fault and nothing was held against her, she still couldn't help but occasio
Embers, ash, and pillars. That was all that was left of the ancient edifice that had once stood in the position Cinnia, Denzel, and Mya were standing on. "One step ahead of us... Fucking son of a—Agh!" Cinnia balled her fists and kicked a pebble in front of her, sending it flying. She ran her fingers through her hair and sank to sit on her heels. A muscle in Denzel's jaw ticked. He wanted to break something, to kill someone but he had to keep his anger in check. There had to be another way. "When could he have done this?" Denzel murmured to himself as he stepped further into the rubble, not minding the smoldering ash that licked at his shoes. Mya moved ahead of him, kicking away crushed stones and waving her hand in front of her to block away the dust that threatened to suffocate her. Some minutes later, they returned to where Cinnia still sat, her fists shaking in her lap. The look on their faces said it all. The tree was gone. Cut down and burnt to a crisp. Only a single root r
"I feel I should be surprised but weirdly, I'm not," Cinnia whispered to Maverick whilst keeping her eyes on Denzel who stood ramrod straight as he stared down at the bloody heart in his palm. "Me neither," Maverick replied with the corners of his lips raised in satisfaction. His brother always had a way of showing up at the right moment. "Can you please find me some water around here? My throat is dying," Cinnia requested to Maverick. "Sure." The moment he left, Cinnia took slow steps to Denzel. The clangs of weapons, grunts and growls of the supernaturals, and the whimpers of the wounded echoed through her ears which created a nagging feeling in her chest. Something was wrong. Sebastian was dead, wasn't he? Then why was the battle still ongoing? His creatures should have dropped dead...even the one she had granted the illusion of choice. Yet, when Denzel's eyes met hers finally, all previous thoughts melted away and she picked up the pace and ran to him. A huge smile lit up Den
Cinnia's heart pounded in her chest as she waited and hoped that Sebastian was truly messing with her and Maverick wasn't dead. She didn't think she would ever be able to forgive herself if he died because of her rashness. She gasped when Maverick landed face-first on the ground right in front of her. A relieved smile grew on her face but promptly bled out when she noticed that he wasn't moving. "Why isn't he getting up? What did you do to him, you bastard?!" Cinnia yelled, struggling against the bonds that held her back. She felt the skin on her neck break and begin to bleed but she paid no mind to it. She screamed her voice hoarse, yanking at the chains but it was futile and all to Sebastian's glee. "What did you do?... What did you do to him?..." Cinnia sagged against the chains that held her down; her voice reduced to a pitiful croak. Sebastian sat on his heels and bent his head to the side. A wide smile that immensely irritated Cinnia was stretched out across his face. "It's
"Beg your pardon?" Cinnia quirked up an eyebrow, uncertain about whether she heard properly. "Kneel before your King," Sebastian repeated, dragging out each syllable like she and Maverick were dim-witted five-year-olds. Cinnia and Maverick exchanged a glance. Then, Maverick scoffed while shaking his head and clutching the fresh wound caused by the grazing of the silver bullet, on his arm. "I only have one king and I don't even kneel before him..." Cinnia bit back. A second later, she added as an afterthought, "Often... And I certainly won't do it if he demands it in that tone you're using." As she spoke, she kept her right hand behind her with a portion of her mind focused on chanting a spell and channeling power to her fingertips. Sebastian barked out a laugh. "I do love your sense of humor. It's refreshing. Very rarely do average people make jest in dangerous situations." "Thank you for recognizing my immense potential." At the last word, she fired two bolts of crackling ligh
For the first time in a long while, Denzel had a dream. One that he remembered the moment his eyes fluttered open to the dimness of his room. A smile grew on his face as he recalled the events. He was happy. There were no foes. Just him and his princess. Yawning, he stretched out his muscles and then turned to pull Cinnia closer to him. But the sheets beside him were as cold as ice. He shot up from the bed, his heart racing in alarm. A glance at the bedside clock let him know that it was almost four-thirty, half an hour before the pack would assemble by five a.m. He got up and threw open the curtains. As someone who never slept for long, he should have been awake thirty minutes before. "Princess?" He called out to the eerily empty room, hoping that she was in the bathroom and just being extremely quiet or holding her breath or something. Yet, from his incredible hearing, the sinking realization occurred to him and his eyes widened. In a flash, he washed his face, threw on some c
Cinnia watched from her window as Denzel drove off with Maverick, Mya, Kai, and five of his best gammas. As Luna, without even being told, everyone was looking up to her to run things in the absence of their Alpha and Beta. However, she didn't feel like doing anything pack-related. Earlier that morning, she practiced various spells from a grimoire she had taken from her mother's house before the Darah Haven witches decided to try and drain her of her magic. Yet, she still experienced some difficulty in performing some of the more complicated magical spells and it made her throw the entire book aside from frustration. Cinnia leaned her head against the window frame and heaved out a melancholic sigh. Just as she was about to lock her door and try the spells again, someone knocked on her door. Her shoulders dropped as she bowed her head and let out another sigh. "Come in," She called out after a beat. Conall stepped in and shut the door behind him. "Do you people not have off
"Fuck the drive. What is it?" Denzel whirled around to face Maverick, his eyes alight and expectant. "It's not good, brother." Maverick shook his head solemnly. Mya scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. "When last has anything been good around here?" Denzel shot her a look that made her zip up her mouth. "Well? Speak up, brother," Denzel pressed as his index finger drummed an anxious beat on his thigh. "Sebastian has made more vampires out of innocent humans. The council just sent a memo about a meeting tomorrow because of all the disappearances the human faction have had to cover up as freak accidents or kidnaps," Maverick informed. Denzel raised an eyebrow at him. "You aren't telling me everything." "Can this get any worse?" Mya mumbled while tracing a pattern on the ground with her foot. "It can. It has," Maverick answered her. "I don't understand how Sebastian has done it but the smaller packs have been recruited into working for him. He's making an army of vamp
Cinnia wordlessly threw dirt onto the little coffin in the freshly dug hole in the ground. Three days had passed since Sebastian's victory and barely a word had left her mouth. To someone who wasn't privy to her situation, they would think she went about her days like a normal person but those who knew her intimately—especially Denzel—were aware that she wasn't the same. The Cinnia he had met that starry night in Bromsken was gone and replaced by a hollow shell of the woman she used to be. Maverick was like Cinnia. The only difference was that he buried himself in business, pack duties, and hunting for Sebastian. Sophie's death had changed something inside of him. Though he never properly acknowledged the relationship they had, it didn't make him feel any better. In those three days, he was filled with unwavering regret that he couldn't have been with her the way he wanted. He finally understood just how Denzel felt about Cinnia even though she was part witch. Worst of all, he cou